Baskerville
“Life would be f****** boring without music…”
Dutch musician Baskerville has music coursing through his veins, pumped around his body by a heart that beats like a kick drum. He literally lives and breathes music. It surrounds him, it’s indelibly imprinted into his DNA and he has dedicated his entire life to his art.
Baskerville is a one-man operation, helmed by Thijs van der Klugt. He progressed from playing drums and guitar in his childhood, to becoming a full-time producer for a variety of Dutch acts; from electronic-based indie bands to solo artists. Meanwhile, he dedicated his time to making his own music, initially teaming up with Bart Possemis, in 2009, to form Baskerville. Their electro-tinged productions launched them into the public consciousness, with many of the biggest labels in the business releasing their music, Boyz Noize’s BNR Trax and Diplo’s Mad Decent among them. While many of the scene’s most respected players supported their music including Madeon, Boyz Noize, The Magician, Fake Blood, Tchami, Bart B More, Alex Metric, Erol Alkan, DJ Snake and Fono among others. Their scintillating live set took them around Europe to appear at festivals such as Exit, Sziget, Lowlands, Leeds Festival and more, plus a plethora of DJ gigs, while their prolific studio sessions resulted in two lauded LPs, ‘Disco Biscuits’ in 2010 and ‘Strongroom’ in 2013.
Now working alone, Baskerville’s ambitions remain the same; to keep making the very best music he can, and to fill people with positive energy, encouraging them to dance the night (or day) away. Now he’s operating as a solo act he has the freedom to explore his sound in greater depth and expand on his ideas. Baskerville splices elements of the underground with melodies, indie, hip-hop, electro and whatever else he is inspired by when he hits the studio. His approach is professional, polished and full of panache. It’s dance music made with a distinct touch of class - high quality, layered productions that demonstrate the wealth of experience he has gained from being so deeply involved with music for such a long time. It’s music made to get the dance floor moving, the girls especially, but also intricate enough for the heads who appreciate technical flair.
With his sights locked on the future, he is entering a new phase in his career with a fresh agenda and a new level of excitement fuelled by having the freedom to really do exactly what he wants. Baskerville already has a single signed to Chase & Status’ seminal label MTA Records - the breakbeat-tinged ‘Times’, which demonstrates his dexterity and professional touch perfectly, and there are more killer tracks on the way.
Needless to say, with even more behind-the-scenes production work in the pipeline, a reconfigured live show and plans to keep his club music moving forward, Baskerville will continue to be a Dutch production powerhouse…